To Tempt a Wilde (10 page)

“Where is he now?”

“Went into town to get his stuff. With how soft his hands looked, he probably went to get a manicure while he's there,” the man mumbled, and Nate resisted the urge to laugh.

“When he gets back, let me know. I'll have a look at him, check him out.”

“Will do, boss.”

Satisfied with that,
he turned to leave, but before he could, Nate stopped him.

“Looks like Althea enjoyed herself today.”

When he saw the knowing look on Jake's face, he wished he'd kept the comment to himself.

Jake barked a laugh. “Yeah, she did! She worked just as hard as the men. You got a keeper with that one, boss,” he said with a broad wink.

“I'm not sure how long she'll be here. I just wanted to make sure
she didn't get into any trouble while we were away.”

When his foreman gave him the same
yeah right
look as his brothers had, Nate squashed the need to explain or knock the grin off his face, the same shit-eating grin his brothers had given him over the course of the day. He'd learned from trying that with his brothers that the only thing it was guaranteed to do was make it worse.

A
lthea brought her gloved hand to her forehead and absently wiped away at the sweat, running a glance over the newly turned earth.

It was early Sunday morning, and although she'd been given the morning off, Althea hadn't been able to stay in bed and do nothing. Torn, her emotions, her thoughts were all out of whack.

Making love with Nate had done that to her.

Coupled with the
fact that although she'd seen him from a distance over the last two days, the two of them hadn't exchanged a word. To say he was avoiding her was putting it mildly. To say she was confused and more than a little irritated was a given.

After eating a small breakfast she'd gone outside. Wandering around the cottage's small, enclosed backyard, she'd found a shed not far away. Curious, she'd ventured
inside and to her delight the shed was
fully stocked with planting supplies inside a variety of air-tight containers.

Inside she found seeds and bulbs, all carefully labeled. One of the many activities she and her father had enjoyed together was gardening, and from as early as she could remember, no matter where they'd been living they'd had some type of garden. Even in the apartment they'd lived
in when she was barely school age, she fondly recalled the small herbal garden they'd kept on the balcony of the two-story apartment.

It was an unusually warm day, and perfect for planting. Althea selected a few of the seeds and bulbs, ones that were right for planting in early spring, added them, along with some supplies, to a small wheelbarrow and made her way back to the front of the cottage.

The cottage itself was testimony to very careful planning, the meticulous design of the cottage itself as well as the furnishings. That final touch was missing, curb appeal, she'd thought with a grin, and set to work.

Now as she sat back, she carefully lifted the flower bulbs from the container and placed each one in the holes she'd dug before moving on to the next. Humming, Althea put on her
earphones and turned up the sound, contemplating the changes in her world over the last few weeks.

 

Sunday morning was the day Nate and his brothers gave the men time off. Some used the time to sleep in after a night spent out in Landers—his brothers included—while others chose to visit family and attend church services.

The one day Nathan had to sleep in, not waking at dawn as he normally
had to, sleep remained elusive. All because of Althea.

She'd started helping Lilly with the afternoon meal, and those times Nate had carefully made sure he was nowhere around, although he'd been the one to suggest to Lilly that Althea help her.

He felt like some adolescent boy whenever she was around. Gut all twisted in knots, heart thumping when he caught a glimpse of her…and completely unlike
what he was used to, what he was comfortable with.

He had it bad. The woman was getting to him.

But he needed time. Time to come to terms with his growing attraction.

After a solitary breakfast with no one around, even Lilly taking the day off, and his brothers no doubt recuperating from a night out in Landers if they were home at all, Nathan gave up trying to fool himself that he could allow
it to continue. Thoughts of Althea were playing in his head round the clock.

And avoidance had never been his style.

He went to the barn to saddle his favorite horse for a ride. Maybe that would help him clear his thoughts, get his mind right. It always had in the past, even after Angela left. Even then, he had easily managed to submerge himself in his environment, his world, where nothing and
no one had been able to penetrate his thoughts.

But the trip to the stable only reminded him of Althea as well, as he passed the stall of the Arabian he'd bought from the old rancher.

Whatever magic Althea had performed on the animal,
if he could figure out how to bottle it to sell he'd make millions.

Not only did the horse now allow him near, it also allowed Nate to saddle and ride it, to
his surprise.

His intention was to go to the south pasture, check on the new calf, but halfway there, he turned around and headed to her cottage. Reining the horse in he slowed his pace, and stopped short within a few yards of the cottage.

He frowned, looking across the short distance to see her knee-deep in dirt, her small body bouncing, earphones on as she worked. It was then he noticed what
she was wearing on her head: his hat.

He remembered the day he'd given it to Angela. It was the same day she'd left both him and his hat in the cottage, along with a note saying she couldn't go through with their engagement, that ranch life wasn't for her.

Expecting the accompanying anger, he found instead that the memory garnered no more than a fleeting thought, simply something that happened
in his past.

Althea, garden shovel in hand, was digging deeply into the earth, head bobbing as she listened to her music, totally immersed in her work.

Just like a kid, playing in the dirt.

An unknowing smile lifted one corner of his mouth as he observed her.

 

Althea sat back and observed her work, a satisfied smile on her face, thinking how beautiful the flowers would be when they bloomed.
She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, imaging the beautiful fragrance they'd
give in late spring. She couldn't wait to open the window and let the scent wash into the cottage.

Her shoulders hunched and she sighed.

She doubted she'd be around to see the fruits of her labor.

In fact, she didn't know if she'd even be around to see the first stems break free of the earth, much less get to see the
flowers bloom.

She forced the dismal thoughts away. “No matter. Someone else will have the pleasure,” she murmured, patting the earth before with a sigh, then turning and gathering her things.

As she was placing everything back inside her wheelbarrow, she paused, one hand grasping the small shovel tight, a prickling sense of awareness telling her that she was no longer alone.

She didn't need
to turn around to know who was there. Licking her lower lip, she closed her eyes, then casually glanced over her shoulder.

Her breath caught at the back of her throat; she slowly raised her eyes, her gaze traveling over him.

Larger than life, he sat atop his horse, the brim of his Stetson set low as he stared across the distance at her.

Her body ran hot and cold, a wave of goose bumps rushed
over her skin. She slowly exhaled the pent-up breath through her nostrils.

It felt like a lifetime instead of two days since she'd last seen him.

She rose to her feet and removed the work gloves, turning to fully face him. A tight fist clenched in her stomach.

 

Patting the horse on the rump after tying it to a large beam near the cottage, Nate's eyes never left Althea's. Even from his distance
away, he could feel the tension radiating off her in scalding waves. He knew she was more than aware that he'd purposely kept his distance from her. Justifying it in his mind, the need to sort out his growing feelings for her, was no excuse. He knew it. But he'd needed that time.

Lot of damn good that had done.

As he stood finally less than a foot away from her, all of his careful thinking,
rationalizing, flew out the window the minute he was near her again.

A smile tilted the corner of his mouth. He reached down and fingered the speck of dirt on the end of her nose away.

Without a word, he brought her close. Enveloping her in his arms, he burrowed his nose in the curve of her neck, inhaling her unique scent deeply into his lungs.

Her arms came out hesitantly before wrapping around
his waist. His eyes closed briefly, his hold on her tightening. “I'm sorry,” he said low, the words barely above a hoarse tone.

He felt her slight trembling and brought her away from his body, far enough so that he could see her face.

He caressed the soft line of her cheek with the back of his hand, answering when he saw the look of question in her liquid brown eyes, “For avoiding you.”

She
raised a brow. “Oh, is that what you were doing? I didn't even notice,” she quipped, one dimple flashing in her cheek.

“Didn't notice, huh?” he said, holding back an unexpected laugh. Bringing her close again before she could protest, he slanted his mouth over hers, pressing their bodies into tight alignment, tunneling one hand beneath her hair, knocking the hat off of her head as the other
hand traveled down to cup her round bottom.

She moaned into his mouth, her arms lifting to curl around his neck, giving in to his kiss.

When he felt his erection grow stiff, aggressively pressing against her softness, he broke the kiss, reluctantly.

He wanted…needed…to lift her, take her into the cottage and make love, feel her sweetness wrapped around him until they exploded into ecstasy.

He also wanted to share something else besides his body with her. Something he hadn't wanted to do with anyone in a long time.

He looked away and motioned toward the ground where she'd been planting. “Are you done here?”

She frowned, nodding, pulling her bottom lip inside her mouth. “I hope it was okay. I didn't think to ask. I just—”

Nate shook his head. “No, it's cool.” He held out his hand.
“I'd like to take you somewhere, Althea.”

She glanced down at his outstretched hand, a puzzled frown on her face as she looked up at him.

“Where?”

“I'll tell you about it when we get there. Trust me?” he asked.

She waited for a fraction of a second before placing her hand in his. Looking into his face, she nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

The knot of tension broke with her acceptance of his hand.

 

Riding behind Nate with her arms wrapped around him, her legs and body close to his, along with the sweet morning air and the horse's unhurried cadence was a heady experience for Althea. It felt as though there were only the two of them, alone in the world.

She laid her head lightly on his back, wrapped her arms tighter around his lean waist.

During the twenty-minute horseback ride, the conversation
had been as unhurried as the ride, interspersed with him sharing with her the history of the ranch, and his growing up, all of which Althea soaked up, eager to learn as much about Nate as she could.

The ranch was more than something he was part owner of, more than his livelihood, it was an intricate part of his makeup, who he was. All woven together into a fabric in the intricate tapestry of
Nate Wilde.

Before her father had died, Althea had always been outgoing. After her father's death and her subsequent flight, she'd become used to being on her own. She'd adapted to her lonely existence and had become adept at batting away the loneliness.

Until she'd come to Wyoming Wilde. Now, everything had changed. All because of Nate, the men, the ranch…she found herself eagerly looking forward
to what each new day would bring, found herself wanting…longing to be a part of a family again.

The thought was sobering.

“Here we are.” Nate's voice brought her out of her musings. “This is where it all began.”

She leaned around his big body, to see where he was pointing.

“Ohh,” she breathed. “It's gorgeous.”

Ahead was a stretch of land that was beautiful and breathtaking in its simplicity.

A long, wooden fence both separated and surrounded a small lake; a variety of trees and bushes were plentiful in the area, the lushness of the grass belying the time of season.

He quickly dismounted, reached a hand up to help her down.

“My brothers and I usually take care of the area ourselves, unless we're too busy.”

After dismounting, Nate guided her up a long, narrow, pebbled path.

They
walked past a penned area where several palominos were contentedly grazing, their tails flicking back and forth lazily as they ate.

When they drew nearer, they raised their heads, tossing them high, acknowledging Nate and Althea's presence before they returned to eating.

Althea turned her head, taking in the area. The Black Hills Mountains provided a majestic backdrop, the trees and small lake,
the horses…it all gave a unique feeling to this part of the ranch, setting it apart from the rest of the land. Special.

That was how it made her feel, and she knew the place held a special significance for Nate.

“That's my father's house.”

He pointed to a small log-framed house tucked
between a pair of seven-foot trees that were already blooming with large, white elegant flowers.

Althea drew
in a deep appreciative breath. The contrast between the rugged area and the delicate, beautiful cherry blossoms on the trees was breathtaking.

“It's the first home he built when he bought the land.”

When she felt his hand touch hers, she automatically placed her palm within his.

Together they walked along the pebble path toward the cabin, their bodies brushing against each other with each step.
The closer they got, the more solemn Nate became.

She had become so in tune with him that she could
feel
the slight shift in his mood. It wasn't his silence that alerted her to a change. It was much more subtle than that.

Nate stopped, turned to face her, a contemplative look on his handsome face.

“This was also the first place my brothers and I called home. The first home any of us ever had.”

Althea's eyes searched his, seeing something in his eyes…something indefinable, not happy or sad, but a curious blending of both.

He squeezed her hand once and released it before fumbling in his jacket to fish out a key and unlocking the door. When he opened the door, motioning for her to precede him, she walked inside.

 

After allowing Althea to go in front of him Nate followed, closing the
door behind him.

He stayed just within the doorway, keeping his
attention focused on her as she walked farther inside the simple home he grew up in.